Post by Pear on Mar 22, 2015 10:05:56 GMT -5
“Yeah, cocksucker. Swe’gen bring you cocksucker.”
And here I thought Justified had the best dialogue I’d ever come across in a television show. “Mister Wu” is a cocksucker’s wet dream, a glorious hour of wonderful exchanges and little moments that help set up what should be an excellent finish to season one. As Mister Wu so eloquently puts it: “Cocksucka.” I wholeheartedly agree.
“Neither of us would have reached our present comfortable position freezing our balls off if we didn’t understand: you can’t cut the throat of every cocksucker whose character it would improve.”
The great thing about the Al-Wu interactions is the fact that they’re not merely played for laughs. They’re absolutely hilarious, but they serve to delineate where these two men stand in relation to each other and to the rest of society. There seems to be a mutual respect here, and both men use each other to look more respectable to those watching: Wu exits through the back door at the Gem, and Al makes a show out of complaining about high prices. Earlier in the season, the show brought Cy into town, and it seemed as if he was going to represent the “Al of a different world”; we’re seeing now that this isn’t the case, that Al and Cy are different in significant ways, that the gap between them is widening with each passing episode.
Of course, Cy’s always going to want to be on top of the world, and we see that portrayed visually with him on the balcony as Al and Silas Adams talk below. Speaking of Cy, it’s interesting to hold the brutal scene between him, Flora, and Miles up against Al’s drowning of Jimmy. We see that both men are capable of dishing out violence, but Jimmy’s murder feels a bit more sensible, a bit more geared toward prolonging the peace. Cy oftentimes gets overcome with a desire to assert his control, and that’s what we saw with Flora and Miles; here, Al kills Jimmy because he needs to for Wu and because it impresses Adams. And with Adams, Al now has someone who’s a significant step up from Dan and Johnny.
In this rapidly growing town–which is definitely a lot more crowded now–it’s necessary to realize what your place is, to recognize that you’re one part of a body that needs all its parts working in tandem. It’s also more difficult to maintain your grip on power, and sometimes, people are going to have to resort to bribery and thievery and maybe even murder in order to do so. Yet, “Mister Wu” also shows us the other side; the episode shows us that maintaining relationships and building communities can be done through simple kindness, through scenes like the one we get between Al and Reverend Smith.
It’s through the Reverend that the episode finds the humanity seen so often in the show, and it’s pretty heartbreaking to see what’s happening to the guy. He embodies all the ideas behind the forming of a community in Deadwood, yet when it’s actually happening, he’s suffering from an illness that could very well kill him. Kudos to Sol and Seth for their kindness, for their ability to bring a smile to his face by reminding him about their first conversation. Then, they go on an “evening stroll with friends”, a scene reminiscent of Merrick’s early walk with Sol and Seth, yet still very different. After all, the thing about Merrick is that he pretty much asks them to accompany him; he expresses a loneliness and a weakness that doesn’t really appeal to them, but later, they are very much willing to help out Reverend Smith. Smith is physically weak, but what matters is that he still brings people together, that he still expresses the kindness necessary in this society. Because he does so, others return the favor, and Deadwood is better off for it.
GRADE: A-
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-Cocksucker count: 38 (YES. YES. YES.)
Total cocksucker count: 115
-E.B. as mayor is fun to watch. Also, tit-licker.
– “Who the fuck did it?” “WU?!” “WHO?! WHO?! Who stole the fucking dope?” “Cocksucka!” “Aw, Jesus.”
– “I just shit myself, sir. I’m saying it now before the smell gets to you.” “You shit yourself?” “I’m sorry.” “Go ahead, throw yourself off the balcony.” *Jimmy obliges*
-Titus Welliver is awesome. He’s shown up in a bunch of places, but he’s rarely been a major character. Hopefully, we see much more with Silas Adams in the future.
-The Al-Jimmy-Leon scene is really well done by both the actors and the creative team. It’s very effective at building up the tension throughout.
– “Gotta go to the bathhouse. You want to accompany me? …No one’s looking to fuck you up the ass. I gotta execute someone.”
– “Get a fuckin’ haircut. Looks like you motherfucked a monkey.” See, does this mean he fucked a monkey that was a mother?
-Feel free to experience the glory of Al-Mr. Wu yet again:
-Two more left this season. I’ve already seen the finale, and I must say: I wasn’t surprised when E.B. ended up burning the whole town to the ground, which was followed up by Al dropkicking Cy off the balcony and Seth ripping off his clothes. I was a bit surprised, however, when Dan fucked one of Mr. Wu’s pigs.